Moist or pre-moistened towelettes are a common and popular consumer product. Two uses for pre-moistened towelettes include baby wipes and towelettes specially designed for cleaning erasable ink off of porcelain-coated "white boards" or dry erase surfaces. Because the pre-moistened towelettes will dry upon prolonged exposure of the roll of towelettes to the atmosphere, air-tight canisters are provided for the storage and dispensing of individual towelettes. The present invention provides an improved container for this very purpose.
Specifically, two problems are associated with currently available containers for the dispensing of pre-moistened towelettes. By way of background, it should be understood that the containers or container assemblies are normally provided in two parts, a cylindrical container portion for accommodating a roll of moistened towelettes and a cap through which the towelettes are dispensed. Further, a seal in the form of a removable, protective flap is normally provided at the opening of the container to provide an airtight seal within the container to prolong the shelf life of the moist towelettes prior to purchase.
The first problem associated with currently available containers for moist towelettes is the initial opening of the container. The cap must be removed from the container so that the consumer can remove the protective flap and gain access to the towelettes. It is often very difficult to remove the cap from the container. There is normally no handle or tab for the consumer to grasp onto in order to pull the cap off the container. Further, most containers are not provided with a threaded cap/container connection. In order to remove the flap from the opening of the container to gain access to the towelettes, the consumer must first pry the cap off of the container. Then, an initial towelette is fed upward through a narrow opening in the cap through which the towelettes are dispensed.
Thus, the first problem associated with presently available container for moist towelettes is the cap/container connection. The caps are often difficult to remove from the container and the consumer must remove the cap from the container in order to gain initial access to the towelettes and feed the towelettes through a narrow opening in the cap.
A second problem associated presently available containers for pre-moistened towelettes is the lack of storage capability for partially used towelettes. Pre-moistened towelettes are expensive and consumers will be appreciative of an additional storage place within the container assembly that will accommodate partially used towelettes. This feature will be especially applicable to pre-moistened towelettes for use on dry erase boards. Often, the user of a towelette will only need to clean off a corner or a small portion of the dry erase board and will then want to save the partially used towelette. The towelettes for dry erase boards dry out quickly because they are normally moistened with a volatile solvent.
Thus, there is a need for an improved container assembly for the storage and dispensing of pre-moistened towelettes. The container assembly should include a cap that is easy to remove from the container portion so that the user can easily gain initial access to the towelettes and feed the initial towelette through the cap. Second, the cap and/or container should include a secondary container or compartment for the storage of partially used towelettes. By solving the two above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a container assembly for the storage and dispensing of pre-moistened towelettes that is more satisfying for the consumer to use and more economical for the consumer because it conserves partially used towelettes.